(2006) During the Cold War, the world was divided into two camps: one aligned with the United States, the other aligned with the Soviet Union. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, America emerged as the sole superpower. But another camp is again emerging to challenge the United States and its allies. It is not a great superpower like the Soviet Union, but a loose coalition of forces united by a common opposition to the United States and its policies.

Islamist groups like al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood are part of this movement against the United States, but it is neither a religious movement, nor one comprised of Muslims alone. Today, these groups are increasingly making common cause with anti-U.S. forces in Latin America and elsewhere. They are rethinking their rhetoric to appeal to a broader audience at home and their new allies abroad.

Today, Hamas is extending its hand to the Russians. The Iranians are reaching out to Cuba. And the extremists insurgents in Iraq are praised by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for their “anti-imperialist” resistance. Meanwhile, the Islamist radicals are increasingly adopting the language of Marxism and class war to broaden their appeal at home. What we are seeing is nothing less than the globalization of their so-called “jihad.”